The definition of home
by consultingtrickster
Summary: Loki has escaped from the Asgardian prison, where he was sent following the events in the Avengers, going to Thor to hide and wait out his recovery until he is well enough to get back to causing mischief. What he hasn't expected, is how he will feel, seeing Thor after three years apart. Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

_Heart pounding. Chest heaving. Hands trembling. Tighten fists, hands stop shaking. Good sign. Look around, where are you? Come on Loki.. Think. Did it work? Yes… Yes it did. You're free. No. Not free. Still in Asgard. Curses. Try and leave. Not strong enough. Find somewhere… Find somewhere you can recuperate. Somewhere… Somewhere safe. _

Loki walked as stealthily as he could in his condition, stumbling every now and again over his own feet and collapsing against the wall. No-one was awake it seemed… This was good… If he got caught now it would make everything worthless… All his efforts for nothing.. All the pain and suffering…. He made his way down a familiar hall, pushing open the door to a room he hadn't entered in years.

As he closed the door behind him, Loki heard the figure in the bed stirring, and held his breath, hoping he could go unnoticed. He turned around, leaning against the door to support himself, as he waited for the other god to fall back asleep.

Instead, Thor sat up, rubbing his face and looking at Loki with a confused, expression, groggy with sleep. In another instant, though, the Thunder god recognized his brother, standing in his room, and his face flipped through a myriad of expressions. Surprise, anger, relief, joy, confusion and amusement all made appearances, then he settled on looking mildly happy.

"Loki… Brother… What are you doing here…? Last I knew, you were imprisoned for what you attempted to accomplish with the tesseract… Were you not?" Thor frowned deeply then, sitting up as his eyes took in Loki's state… His skinnier than usual stature, the bags under his eyes and the shaking that caused his entire body to tremble. He noticed the clothing he wore then as well… tight black pants, with a long sleeved black shirt.. Typical Asgardian prison wear… Except the torso of the shirt was stretched out of shape, from Loki pulling it around his legs at night.

"Yes, Thor… I was in prison… For three years…" Loki laughed, then shook his head. "It should not have taken so long to free myself, but the guards certainly ensured I would not be able to gather enough strength to escape…" he looked off to the side, then back to his adoptive brother. "I will not burden you with my presence for long Thor.. I will leave as soon as I have enough energy to shape shift, and you shall not have to worry about getting punished by your father for harboring a fugitive." Loki sneered the words, sarcasm dripping from the words to destroy any semblance of actual apology, and the words 'your father' bearing a particular sting.

"He is your father as-" "No he is not!" Loki interrupted Thor, growling and sneering at the blond man. "He is not my father and never was, Thor, can you not understand that? Can you not understand that we are not brothers and we never were!"

Thor stared at him sadly, then shook his head, "You are still my brother Loki… Whether by blood or not… I will always love you…" he got out of the bed, walking over to Loki in his sleep pants and placing a warm, gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let us get you cleaned up… Then you may rest here until you feel ready to leave, and I shall assist you in getting to a safe place…"

Loki flinched back from the warm touch at first, then allowed Thor to lead him to the washroom, watching as he filled the basin with room temperature water for his bath. The younger god stripped quickly, slipping into the bath as Thor left the room, half hearing the other telling him that he would leave him some clothing on the bed, and be right back with food. He was glad the blonde god had left, for he did not want him to see the marks he was so sure were still on his body.

The god of mischief washed up, then combed his hair, looking at himself in the mirror. He could see some lingering whip marks on his chest and back, that he hadn't quite been able to heal properly due to his lack of strength, as well as some bruises which riddled his hips. He poked them gently to see how much they hurt, then wrapped a towel around his waist, walking out into Thor's bedchamber.

The small god pulled the pants on carefully, nodding at how they seemed to fit fairly well, then put on the shirt, which was more than a little large for him. He sat cross-legged in the center of his brother's bed, waiting for his return…

Thor walked into the room, carrying a tray with a large assortment of fruit on it, as well as a pitcher of red wine. He placed the pitcher next to the bed on the table, then set the platter of fruit down in front of Loki, who without a word of thanks began to eat quickly. He devoured half the plate before slowing down a little and pausing to take sips of the wine every now and again.

Thor watched as Loki inhaled the food, the realization that his brother had probably not eaten in weeks setting in with a twinge of pain. He was about to ask how long it had been, when Loki picked up the last piece of fruit on the tray, a banana. He brought it to his lips after peeling the skin back, then began to eat it. The god of mischief ate the phallic shaped fruit with an innocent seductive care, completely unaware of what he was doing to the other man.

Thor tore his eyes away from Loki when the other was finished eating the fruit, swallowing dryly before speaking. "I-It's been a while since you've had some proper food, hmm?"

The raven haired god smirked a little, catching on quickly to what he'd done to Thor. This was going to be useful… He'd be able to use Thor's attraction to him to tease the man.. To make him desperate and aching for his 'brother' until it was painful for the other. Loki nodded, half to answer Thor's question, and half to tell himself this was a good idea, and that it would be an efficient way to punish Thor for his hand in his imprisonment.

The trickster chuckled, nodding once more. "Yes Thor… it has been quite a while… The guards took a liking to depriving me of food as a punishment for mouthing off, so I usually ate bout every… two weeks or so… the last time I ate was almost exactly two weeks ago this day, now that I think about it.." he shrugged, then drank from the wine pitcher, allowing a little to drizzle down his chin to tempt Thor.

Thor cleared his throat, looking away so that he wouldn't be tempted to lean over and lick the younger's chin clean… He had to think of something… "Loki… how about you get some rest, then… It must not have been comfortable, the bed you had in prison…"

Loki nodded, then placed the tray on the ground before laying back, relaxing onto the soft bed. Thor raised a brow. "Surely you do not mean to take the entire bed brother… It does belong to me…" he climbed in beside Loki, getting under the covers while Loki remained on top of them.

"Yes… Well… Suit yourself…" Loki shrugged, rolling to the side and closing his eyes. The younger god fell asleep fairly quickly, due to his exhaustion, but the peaceful quiet that filled the room when he did, soon fell away, the night air pierced with the sound of Loki screaming in his sleep. "No! S..Stop! y..you are beneath me... you cannot do this... No!" he thrashed in the bed, as the memories of what had happened to him in the prison, at the hands of the guards whom he had mocked and disobeyed, flashed through his dreaming mind and forced him to relive the anguish over and over, crying out. "Stop! Vile creature! You are beneath me… All of you beneath me! You cannot…. No! No… You cannot touch me… No!" he thrashed about, only waking when Thor's firm grip held him down and the thunder god's voice cut through into the dream, reassuring and strong.

"Loki! Loki, brother… All is well… You are safe… Now wake up!" Thor looked into his brother's eyes when they opened, his own full of concern for the terrified looking younger god. "Loki… What happened to you? What was so terrible that it follows you into your slumber and causes you to scream?"

Loki shook his head, looking away. "Nothing, Thor… It's fine… Don't bother yourself with attempting to ascertain the information… It matters not to you…" the smaller god tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths and focusing on anything but what he'd just dreamed of.

"No…it doesn't do well to just suffer on your own. I'm not telling you to tell me everything that's happened to you - you don't have to, if you wouldn't care to.. But I know that it would help you greatly to tell me what happened." Thor nodded, putting an arm around Loki's shoulder, rubbing his shoulder gently.

Loki sat there for a moment, still and silent, then slowly turned, looking at his brother with pink rimmed eyes. "F-fine… I'll tell you…" he took a deep breath, then closed his eyes, leaning into Thor slightly. He began speaking in a shaky whisper, voice growing strong, angry and venomous by the end.

"When I was first in the prison, the guards would taunt me, provoke me into being mouthy or insolent, so that they could deny me food. While I was starving, which I most often was, they would throw rotting fruits and festering pieces of meat into the cell to taunt and ridicule me further..." he took a deep breath. "It only happened the once... Two of the guards who usually stood outside my cell were being particularly... asinine, one evening, and I couldn't hold my tongue. I tore them apart verbally, then the next thing I knew, they were in the cell with me... on holding me down while the other used me for his own pleasures... I thought it was over when he finished, but as I slumped against the cold floor, the other began his turn and I went through another, possibly worse round of the pain."

Loki's voice was cold and hard now, as he strained to keep his emotions out of the recounted tale. "Soon they had finished with me, and left me to curl up in pain on the cell floor... Those guards left after a year, though the others knew what had happened and frequently taunted me about it..." he took a deep breath. "Almost every night I have dreampt of it, to the point where I gave up on sleeping." he looked into Thor's eyes. "That is why I was screaming."


	2. Chapter 2

Thor stared into his brother's face, disbelieving at first. The tale Loki told was so horrific, so… Terrible, that he found himself hoping against hope that the tale was just another one of Loki's tall tales… Some dramatic story the younger had concocted to attain the attention he so craved. That hope was futile, however, as he could see in Loki's eyes that it was true, he could hear the honest pain in his voice and feel it in the other's trembling form.

The god of thunder's hands clenched into tight fists as rage swelled in his heart, the urge to hunt down the guards that dared hurt his brother in such a deep and terrible way, and make them pay for what they'd done nearly overwhelming him. "Brother.. I am… So sorry… The guards… Is there a way we could trace them… Some way we can find them and I can punish them for what they've done…" he relaxed his hands, cupping Loki's cheek and looking into his eyes.

"No brother… I cannot… We cannot…" Loki closed his eyes, trembling slightly as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him as well. "They are gone.. I attempted to trace them.. But I did not have enough to go on… Its.. Its better we forget it… Let it go…" Loki's voice was low and angry, bitter resent dripping from every syllable. "Let it go until I have convalesced…. Then I will deal with them myself…" he nodded, opening his eyes. "You need not concern yourself Thor… Just.. Go back to sleep… And I will as well… regain my energy." The god of Mischief nodded, laying back on the bed and patting the space beside him.

Thor nodded, then paused, getting an idea. He lay down beside Loki, waiting until he fell back asleep before pulling the smaller, dark haired man against his body, holding him firmly against his body. He rubbed the younger's back gently, humming softly as he had done when a young Loki had joined him in his chambers after a nightmare and slept in his bed.

The thunder god eventually fell asleep as well, his arms forming a protective cage around his brother. In the morning, Loki and Thor were entangled in each other, the younger man's face pressed close to his chest, directly over his heart. Loki woke slowly, the sound of the man's heartbeat making it's way into his dream before he woke. As he stirred, he wondered what the noise was, and why he was so warm, then opened his eyes, looking at Thor groggily before startling.

He sprung back from Thor's body, untangling himself and sitting up in the bed, staring at his adoptive brother. He still felt warm after Thor's arms were no longer around him, and it unnerved him. Loki stretched a bit, testing how sore his body still was, and inspecting the marks which were starting to fade as he regained his healing abilities.

The god of mischief was standing at the window when Thor awoke, staring out of it with a serious expression. His features looked tired, sad and lonely as he stared out at the sunrise, lost in his own thoughts. Thor watched with quiet concern, moving slowly towards his brother, his own brow furrowing in confusion and worry. "Loki…. are you okay?" he asked softly, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "You can talk to me… Tell what it is you are thinking on…"

Loki's heart jumped at the touch and he felt sick afterwards, whimpering and pulling back from it quickly. He masked the feelings almost immediately, putting on a fiercely angry mask. "No.. Thor… Do not touch me." He growled, backing away from him and glaring with guarded, angry eyes, crossing his arms. "I told you far too much last night, and allowed you to get far too close to me… You shall leave me alone, or at the very least, do not touch me again." he looked away again, returning to the plans he was formulating for what he would do upon leaving Asgard…

_Leave Asgard… Yes, that much is obvious… Find somewhere… Somewhere safe… Need to find a home. Asgard is not home. Jotunheim is out of the equation… You have no home Loki… You cannot just decide on a place to call home. It doesn't work like that… Focus on teasing Thor for now… Punishing him… Until you have your energy, that should help…Yes… Now, what more can you do to tease him… Aha… That should work… _

That thought process took all of ten seconds, then Loki looked back to Thor. who had been staring at him with raised brows since his outburst. "What?"

Thor huffed, shaking his head. "Brother, you've never shrank away from me before and now you do so and tell me not to touch you? You came to me for help, and I took you in, giving you anything and everything you needed, protecting you from the Allfather and hiding you here, and yet you demand something as ridiculous as that a simple touch not be preformed? You never had a problem with telling me how you felt before, and now you tell me you've revealed too much when you've confided in me?" he crossed his arms, shaking his head. "Loki, you are my brother and-"

"I am not your brother!" Loki yelled, uncrossing his arms and fisting his hands at his sides. "I am not your brother Thor and I never was! How many times do I have to tell-"

"I love you Loki! We grew up as brothers and I will continue to see you as such until the day I die! Can you not see how much I care for you? I would give my life for you in an instant, and yet you continue to deny that relationship!" Thor strode forward, grabbing the smaller man roughly by his shoulders. "You are my brother, whether by blood or not I do not care."

Loki stared up at him as if listening, then swiftly brought his knee up, knocking the wind out of the larger god. He tackled Thor to the ground, straddling his hips and pinning him down by his shoulders. "Do not touch me.. Did you not hear that?" Loki growled, shifting slowly against Thor's hips to try and maximize the weight bearing down on the man's shoulders, as well as to tease him.

Thor blinked, looking up at him as he registered that he was pinned, then registered the sensation of Loki shifting across his hips, his arse gently rubbing against his crotch. The blonde swallowed nervously, willing himself not to be aroused by the soft, teasing sensation, rolling to the side and easily pinning Loki beneath him, holding the smaller god's wrists above his head. "Loki, stop this.." his face grew serious as he spoke, looking down into Loki's eyes with concern.

Loki merely grinned, then growled, shaking his head. "Do not deign to tell me what to do Thor.. I do what I want!" he bucked his hips, pushing up against Thor's groin hard and rolling to the side, but not before letting out a soft moan at the contact.

Thor froze at the contact, the feeling sending a shiver through his body. No… No that was wrong… Loki was his brother… He flipped them again, grunting softly with the effort and looking down into Loki's eyes as he pinned him once more. "I do not know what has made you so aggravated, but believe me, all I am attempting to do is help you…" he got to his feet, then pulled Loki to his as well. "We shall stop this childish fighting.. before I injure you…"

_Or before you get too aroused, hmm? _Loki thought to himself and smirked, nodding slowly. "Yes… It was childish, wasn't it…" he sighed, adjusting the clothing he was wearing. "Thor, I tire of being stuck in this room with you… Though I suppose it is of yet, still unsafe for me to be wandering through the palace…" he pouted, wandering to the window and leaning on it, sighing dramatically.

Thor joined him at the window, looking out over Asgard and thinking, then getting an idea. "I know where we can go brother… Do you remember the place we used to go as children, sleeping under the stars, far away from here? When we would go on hunting trips?"

Loki nodded with a small frown, then the side of his mouth twitched, threatening to break out into a smile. "Yes Thor, I remember… What about it?"

"We can go there, until you have regained enough energy to shape shift, and then, we will sneak you past Heimdall to Midgard… There you should be safe from the Allfather." Thor nodded, grinning with pleasure at the idea he'd had, and obviously thought was brilliant.

Loki chuckled, then gave a warm smile, the expression reaching his eyes for the first time in three years. "Yes, Thor… That sounds like a wonderful plan.." he raised a finger to his chin, looking thoughtful. "A couple of things though.. You need to give the others some sort of excuse… a reason for your absence… and could you sneak to my chambers and retrieve some clothing for me? I wish to wear garments that actually fit me…"

Thor nodded and left, going first to Odin and telling him that he was going on a camping trip, and would not be back for some time. He went to Loki's chambers after that, retrieving some of Loki's tight black pants, a black undershirt and one of his leather jackets, carrying the lot quickly back to his room and dumping them on the bed for his brother, who had remained by the window until his return.

Loki walked over to the bed, smirking a little as he stripped nude, feeling Thor's gaze following him as he redressed in his own clothing. He met the blushing blonde's eyes when he was fully dressed, giving a grin and twirling on the spot. "How do I look?"

Thor coughed, shaking his head and looking away, willing himself not to dwell on the mental images that were flooding his mind. He hadn't seen Loki naked since they were young, and now… The man was certainly a sight to behold. He certainly had… grown… Not to mention the sinewy muscles that covered his thin lanky frame… or the sharp collar and hip bones that... _No.. No, he's your brother Thor… _"You look.." _Damn sexy… Gorgeous… Indecently attractive… No!… He's your brother! _"…fine brother, you look fine… Now, lets get out of here…" he turned, shaking his head to clear it before grabbing Mjolnir and leading the way outside, looking to make sure no one saw them.

The god of mischief smirked as they walked along, the knowledge that his teasing was working, getting to Thor completely and eating at the older man, making him nearly giddy with pleasure at how well his plan worked. He couldn't help laying a couple patches of black ice along the way though, setting a few little accidents up before his departure.

Thor pulled Loki against his body once they got out to the courtyard, raising the hammer in the air and spinning it before taking off, holding his brother tight as to not drop him. They flew out over the forest, until Thor spotted the clearing and landed carefully, Loki stumbling away from him upon landing.

The brothers set up camp, Loki gathering some food while Thor set up the fire pit, and soon, they were sitting beside I, eating dinner. Loki made sure to tease his brother as much as he could while eating, enjoying his little embarrassed sounds and the way his face would flush as he looked anywhere but at his younger brother. Thor still had no clue Loki was doing this deliberately, and felt even worse for that, thinking of the other's innocence.

Once they'd fallen asleep, there was a short lived period of near silence, the only sounds the crackling fire, and the occasional noise of a passing animal. Then, Loki's screams rang out through the night, as once more he succumbed to the nightmare. Thor immediately was at the younger man's side, holding him down and attempting to wake him, calling his name over and over. "Loki… Loki, brother… Wake up… it is only a dream!"

"No…No…Stay away! S-stop… you cannot… cannot do this… NO!" Loki woke with that yelled word, eyes flying open and staring past Thor into the night.

" Loki… Loki it's alright… Calm down…" Thor attempted, trying to make eye contact, but failing as Loki continued to stare past him. Instead of calming, the raven haired god became more panicked, his eyes widening further as his face assumed a look of complete terror. _No… It couldn't be possible… No… _"NO!" Loki screamed once more. "Y-you can't…NO!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Loki… Loki.. It's alright.. You're safe now… I have you… You're safe…" Thor kept on trying to reassure his brother as he thrashed in his arms, his feet scrambling and kicking against the blonde god, attempting to squirm away from him. The younger one just shook his head, grabbing Thor and throwing him off, backing away as he scrambled to his feet, moving until his back hit a tree. Or at least, Loki had thought it was a tree until the man's strong arms wrapped around his torso.

"Thor!" Loki cried out, pulling the other's attention back to him, and away from the approaching figure he had been so terrified of. Loki turned and as he expected, the man who was holding him was the other one of the guards from the prison, who had raped and tortured him. He tried to fight him off, cursing and yelling, as Thor started over to help him.

Thor was saying something, yelling his brother's name possibly, or maybe he was directing his words to the man holding him, but Loki could not hear. All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat, as he struggled against the massive man holding him still.

As Thor approached, he was tackled to the ground from behind, by the man's partner, who then hooked his arm around the Thunder god's neck, attempting to choke him as he yelled some sort of orders to the other. At least, Loki assumed they were orders, as the man proceeded to throw him over his shoulder, starting to walk away.

The thunder god had just thrown his own assailant against a tree, knocking him out, when he saw Loki being carried away. He yelled out in rage, before chasing after the man and reaching him just as Loki pulled out a knife, stabbing the man in the back and causing him to drop his captive.

"Thank you…" Loki chuckled out weakly when Thor caught him, then looked to the tall man who'd attempted to kidnap him, and was now turning around, rage emanating from him as he glared at the brothers. Thor placed Loki down, moving in front of his little brother with Mjolnir held firmly in his hand. He didn't bother speaking to the tall man, just attacked right off the bat, slamming the hammer into his chest and sending him flying back into a tree. That man also lost consciousness, and the thunder god walked over, grabbing him by the neck and carrying him over to the other unconscious man, dropping him on the ground at his side.

Loki turned some vines into rope with his magic, then assisted Thor in tying the men up to the nearest tree. They then sat back and waited for them to come to, Loki not saying a word as he glared at the men.

The blonde god looked to his brother and frowned, reaching a hand out and gently placing it on his back. "Brother… You seemed to recognize them as we fought… Who are they?"

Loki finally tore his eyes away from the face of the one who had attempted to carry him off, looking to his adoptive brother with a slightly amused expression, though his eyes looked sadder and more desperately angry then ever. "They are the guards from the prison… The ones who.." he looked away, then back to Thor, swallowing dryly. "The ones who raped me, Thor."

Thor's eyes widened and he snarled, turning back to the men, getting to his feet and striking them both across the face in turn, to snap them back to consciousness as soon as possible. He glared with fury at the larger one, picking up Mjolnir and holding it aloft at his side as he spoke. "How did you find us?"

The guard gave a grin, looking at Loki as he spoke, his voice a slimy, high pitched whine that gave Thor shivers. "Well… the trickster over here made it very clear that he had gotten away… We didn't know he'd escaped for sure until there were reports of mysterious patches of ice appearing within the palace." he laughed, and Thor struck him across the jaw once more.

"Who else knows where we are!" Thor barked angrily, growing more and more infuriated as the men both just laughed, looking at their captors with grins. He smashed Mjolnir into the larger man's shin, snapping the limb like a twig. "Tell me!" he demanded, the man panting and hissing in pain, incoherent.

The smaller guard looked at Thor with fear now, eyes wide and chest heaving with his fast, nervous breathing. "N-no… No one knows… We.. We were dismissed from.. From prison duty… And we… became bounty hunters… Heard Loki had escaped…. Came looking for him… only ones who figured out he'd be with you… And found out that you'd told Odin you were going to be here…Didn't tell anyone… So as to keep the bounty… To ourselves…" he swallowed dryly, then looked to Loki, who was glaring at the two of them with hate filled eyes, body trembling softly. "H-hah.. You are still scared my /prince/?" Sarcasm dripped from the word prince, a grin spreading over the man's greasy face.

"Thor, stand aside!" Loki snarled, striding forward and pushing past Thor, who had been about to attack the men once more for daring to mock his little brother. "I am not afraid of you sorry pathetic wretches. You are nothing, so far beneath me that I cannot even find you if I look beneath the dirt on the bottom of my shoes. You are lower than the lowest, crawling creature that burrows through the ground, and ten million times more disgusting. I shouldn't even be gracing you with the privilege of my addressing your filthy form, you don't deserve even that." he took a breath, then continued, his voice deep, low and menacing.

"You know… I have had nearly three years to decide what to do to you two... I had so many ideas… Gloriously tortuous ways to kill you slowly and painfully.. Making you pay for what you did to me… But now that I have you here… I know exactly what I must do. I will kill you in the way that you deserve, not with grand schemes, but as the animals… the creatures… the vermin… that you are." He flicked his wrists, a small ice dagger appearing in each of his hands. He didn't give any warning, only swiftly brought his arms up, slicing their throats quickly before turning back to Thor, who had been watching him with wide eyes.

"What!" Loki snarled, dropping the knives and glancing back to the now dead guards. Their blood was running down their bodies and soaking into the ground at the base of the tree, shining black in the moonlight. Loki sneered, his face that had formerly been filled with so much burning hate and disgust merely showing a light disdain now, spitting on them before walking back to the blonde god once more.

"Loki…" Thor attempted, reaching a hand out to gently touch his brother's shoulder, feeling a light splattering of blood beneath his palm as he touched the other's leather jacket.

"Do not touch me." Loki glared, shrugging him off and striding away from the elder. He headed in the direction of the river, only stopping when he reached the edge, jumping into the cold rushing water and cleansing himself of the blood. He climbed out once he deemed himself clean enough, sitting on the grass and looking up into the starry sky.

Thor carefully walked over, sitting beside him and clearing his throat. "Loki… I know that you are hurting… All I ask is that you allow me to assist you… Did killing those men ease the pain at all? Father has told me that-"

"I do not want to hear what your father has told you about revenge killings Thor!" Loki interrupted, the words 'your father' bearing just as much burning resent as ever. "Yes, it did ease the pain! I feel much better knowing those pathetic, disgusting vermin are dead! Just let me be Thor!" he turned away from him, chest heaving as rage and fear continued to course through his veins.

"Loki… I am sorry. I wish to help, and you seem fixated on preventing me from doing anything akin to such a feat. Let us set up camp here… Get a little bit more rest.. Then we shall see how you are feeling in the morning, yes?"

Loki rolled his eyes, laying on his back in the grass. "Fine. I need no fire, I shall go to sleep here… I shall see you in the morning then." The god of mischief closed his eyes then, refusing to look at Thor as he built a fire relatively close to him, then lay between Loki and the flame. Thor lay there until Loki was deeply asleep, then grabbed him, pulling him against his body once more, telling himself that it was a preventative measure… to ensure Loki did not have another nightmare…

In the morning, Loki opened his eyes slowly, confused as to why he was so warm for only a split second this time, rolling away from Thor, but since they had shifted slightly in the night, he rolled directly into the smoldering embers of the fire, yelping and rolling further off it, laying in the damp grass on his back.

Thor had sat bolt upright when Loki had cried out, looking over him with concern, then slight amusement as he saw what had happened. "Are you alright there Loki?"

"Yes.. I am fine…" he rolled his eyes, sitting up and dusting himself off, sighing and shaking his head. "Thor… If those people could find us… Then who's to say that someone else is not going to come after me here… What can we do?"

Thor thought a moment, then frowned. "We could see about getting to Midgard sooner… If you are able to shape shift… You were able to change that vine into rope, and create your ice daggers were you not?"

Loki nodded slowly then thought for a moment, biting at his lip softly. "Yes… I do think I should be able to change… But I should not do it until we are nearing the palace… In case I can not keep up the illusion for long…" he nodded, getting to his feet and stretching. "We should make haste Thor… Those men will not remain hidden forever…" he turned on the spot, impatiently waiting as Thor got to his feet and picked up Mjolnir.

The thunder god flew them to the edge of the forest, landing carefully and setting Loki down, who did not stumble this time, but strode a few feet away purposely. He stood still then, taking a breath and concentrating, a shimmer of green running over his body as he transformed his appearance. He spun to face Thor, grinning and holding out his hands at his sides to give him a good view of the steel grey suit with a light green shirt and a emerald green tie. "Hey, princess! How do I look?"

Thor laughed when Loki turned round, shaking his head at whom he had chosen to impersonate. "Very good brother.. You look just like the Man of Iron… Hopefully it will be enough to fool Heimdall…" he nodded, then led the way into the palace, nervously watching as 'Tony' greeted every one he passed with a wave, a wink, a grin or a point.

They were nearly at the Byfrost, when Odin came round a corner and walked directly in front of them, frowning a little upon seeing his son and the billionaire. "Thor? I was under the impression that you were going on a camping trip.. That you were to be away for some time?" he looked to 'Tony' and his frown deepened, the young god shrinking from Odin's gaze a little, avoiding eye contact.

The Allfather looked back to his son, and shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Thor… Why did you not tell me you had your friend here? More importantly, how did you bring him here without the use of the Byfrost?"

Thor swallowed dryly, the before he could answer, 'Tony' spoke up. "I'd been experimenting with some new stuff, trying to replicate the effects of the Tesseract, when the damn thing shot me up here…" his voice trailed off as Odin stared at him, slowly meeting the Allfather's gaze, which seemed to see right through all his magic to who was truly standing there. Loki started to feel the magic slipping as he became more and more sure that Odin knew exactly who stood in front of him, but he dared not run, or turn to Thor to let him know. He took a deep breath, still holding the gaze of his adoptive father, and hoping that Thor could see… That Thor would understand what was happening…

A palace guard came running into the hall then, falling to his one knee in front of Odin in a hurry. "M..My king…" he panted, keeping his head bowed as he knelt there, breathing heavily and shakily.

Odin turning and looking at him, frowning softly. "Yes…What is it?" The old god tilted his head a little, blinking his eye a few times as he took in the guard's distressed state.

The man was only able to gather himself a little, breathing still heavy as he explained the situation, face stricken with terror as he looked up at his king. "M-Monsters…In.. In Asgard… Monsters…" he panted, the Allfather narrowing his eye a little at the word.

"Monsters? You are going to have to be a bit more specific warrior… Take a moment to calm yourself if you must, but I need you to be more clear, understood?" Odin spoke slowly, his voice calming and steady.

"Th-There… There are two men… Dead sir… In the woods… Throats cut by ice… There were Ice burns on the wounds… The others suspect there are frost giants in Asgard… You must come quickly…Please!" The man nearly begged, his voice shaking with terror.


	4. Chapter 4

Odin glanced to Loki, his eye accusatory and disapproving, then looked back to the man kneeling in front of him. "There should be no frost giants here in Asgard, it is far more likely that it was a criminal, who had the clever idea of making the murder out to look as if it was one who committed it. I shall come and investigate, and if it truly was a frost giant, then I will find him and I will punish him personally for his crimes." Odin turned to leave with the guard, giving Loki one last look before disappearing around the corner.

Loki was shaking after Odin walked away, and it was taking every ounce of his strength to keep the façade of being Tony up. He glanced to Thor, and nodded, starting to walk very quickly towards the Bifrost, angrily wiping away the stray tears making their way down his face.

He paused outside the entrance to the bridge, waiting until Thor joined him before walking in with the thunder god at his side. They approached Heimdall carefully, 'Tony' opening his mouth to speak, but Thor cutting him off. "Heimdall, we require passage."

"I know. You wish to go to Midgard Thor, I also know that you are not who you appear to be, as I cannot see you." he stared at 'Tony' as he spoke, narrowing his eyes. "There is only one who has been able to prevent me from seeing him before, so do not think I do not still know who you are." He sighed, closing his eyes. "This is an unwise decision my prince, know that if your return poses a threat to Asgard, as when you went into Jotunheim, I shall not open the Bifrost, and you shall be left there in Midgard indefinitely."

Thor nodded, then glanced to his brother before departing with him. They landed in an vacant lot, on the outskirts of the city that Loki had nearly destroyed three years previously. The god of mischief stumbled away from Thor a bit, regaining himself and looking around, keeping the guise of being Tony Stark up just in case they were spotted.

Thor however, was more concerned about how his brother might be feeling after what his father had said in regards to frost giants, but before he could open his mouth to ask Loki if he was alright, the smaller god cut him off, pointing to the approaching car with a frown. "Looks like we have company Thor… Let us hope that it is not the man of Iron in that car, or we may have hit a slight speed bump." Loki put on a smile, watching as the car pulled up and despite their hopes, out stepped Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and most importantly at this moment, narcissist.

Tony looked at Thor with a small smile, then looked to Loki, shifting his sunglasses down to look at him with slightly narrowed eyes. "Now… Not that I don't totally dig the look, I mean I am rocking that suit, but I would love to know how I am looking at myself." he walked over to Loki, circling him before stepping back in front of the man, leaning in to look into his eyes. They looked at each other with the exact same expression before the real Tony raised a brow, pushing his glasses back up and leaning back, crossing his arms. "Well come on… Me." he chuckled, then his face went serious once more. "Explain away."

Loki smiled widely, a lie quickly coming to him as it was what he was best at. "Well, Tony, I am you." he nodded. "I was doing some research a few years from now…. Seeing if I could replicate the power of the Tesseract in it's transportative qualities, and I found myself up in Asgard. I explained everything to blondie here, but he really didn't grasp the quantum physics involved…" he shrugged, then looked Tony in the eye, seeing that the man actually did believe him. "Long story short, in the future, man… I have a time machine. Only problem being the damn thing's still there." he laughed, "So I have no way back…"

"Oh, that's not a problem… I'll take you back to the tower… Thor, you can… chill in the spare room or some shit… and you.." he grinned at his twin, "can show me the stuff you were working on… If I can do it in the future I can certainly help me do it now." Tony gave Loki a wink, then clapped him on the shoulder, leading him back to the car with Thor trailing behind, looking somewhat confused. The Thunder god sat between the two identical men, frowning softly as he tried to follow what was going on.

Had Tony actually believed Loki's lie? Thor supposed he might have believed it as well, had he not known the truth already, but he was still a bit worried that something would happen.. Such as Tony discovering the time machine did not exist… Or Loki losing a hold of his magic and turning back into himself…

Thor pulled Loki aside when they got to Stark tower, the building's namesake busy with a phone call and not paying attention to the brothers. "Loki what is your plan? You cannot stay in this form indefinitely, can you? And what of this… this time machine that you spoke of? What will you do when the man of Iron wishes to see proof of this? Brother, I worry for your safety, please… Be rational about this!"

"Thor, calm down. I do not intend to allow Stark to get as far as to question the validity of my science. I have a plan, which will afford me the protection I require from the man, as well as prevent him from revealing my presence to anyone else." he nodded, then patted Thor's shoulder. "Just watch me Thor… You'll see…" He walked away, joining Tony at the doorway and walking with him inside.

The two Tonys went to the bar, both reaching for the same bottle of aged brandy and laughing, one grabbing glasses and setting them out while the other poured the liquor. Loki raised his glass to the other and gave him a wink, smiling a crooked smile. "To our good health…" he clinked his glass against Tony's, then tossed back the liquid, coughing lightly in the exact same way Tony did seconds after.

Tony poured them each another glass, leading Loki over to the couch and sitting beside him, making small talk for a while about various things… Thor watched from across the room, frowning as he attempted to figure out what on earth Loki's plan could be. The thunder god was even more confused as to the plan when, two drinks later the billionaire had shifted closer to the image of himself, Loki carefully setting their empty glasses on the table before placing a hand on Tony's knee.

Loki slowly slipped his hand up Tony's thigh, smirking as he saw the desire building in the other man's eyes. Everything was going as planned… Loki didn't factor in however, that he would not be in control of the entire situation. Before he could register what was happening, Tony had reached over, grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him close, kissing him tentatively at first but quickly turning the embrace into a fiery, rough exchange.

Thor's heart leapt as he watched Tony kiss his brother, and he fought back the sick , angry feeling that suddenly bubbled in his gut as he observed them. What was that… He wasn't… _No. Thor, you cannot be jealous of Tony… You must be jealous of Loki, that's it… Yes… You have feelings for Tony… Yes that must be… That has to be it… Then why do you want to kill him right now? Thor… Stop this… You can't want that… You can't go over there and rip Tony away from Loki… He is your brother… It is not as if he is your lover… What reason have you to be jealous? _

As the thunder god struggled with his emotions, Loki had climbed into Tony's lap, attempting to regain some control over his situation. The god of mischief knew Thor was watching, and smirked to himself, kissing the man more deeply, moving a hand up under his shirt and rubbing at his abdomen.

Tony pulled away just a little, looking at Loki with wide eyes, pupils blown in arousal. "Shit… Tony…" he chuckled weakly, then swallowed dryly. "Bedroom. Now. Unless you want to fuck in front of Thor there… He seems a bit floored by us anyway…" He chuckled, then groaned as Loki nodded, reaching down and groping him in place of a verbal response. The two men walked out of the living room, Tony leaning on his twin and stumbling just a little.

Thor watched them leave, then stormed out of the tower, going down the street in a huff. This was absolutely ridiculous. He couldn't fathom why he was getting quite so upset over the fact that Loki was in all likelihood going to have sex with the man of Iron… Perhaps it was because Stark was a friend of his .. Perhaps that was why the idea upset him so greatly…

Meanwhile, back in Stark tower, Loki and Tony had reached the bedroom, mirroring each other as they removed their clothing, tossing it in opposite corners of the room. The two men met in the middle of the room, Tony grabbing onto Loki's waist and pulling him close, kissing him deeply once more. They remained in the center of the room, kissing and rubbing their hands over each other's bodies until Tony growled, biting the god's shoulder roughly. "Fuck.. Tony… I want you now…" the god gasped out, pushing him over to the bed.

As the two men fell onto the bed, Loki rolled them so that he was laying on his back and Tony was laying between his legs. Tony looked down at him curiously for a second, then caught on, realizing his twin was giving him permission to be the one on top as to say. He leaned down, kissing Loki on his lips softly as he reached down between their bodies, positioning his cock at the other's entrance. Tony didn't bother asking if he was ready, pushing in slowly and grunting as he fully inserted himself.

Loki gasped and hooked his leg around Tony's waist to allow him easier access, shivering and moaning softly as he allowed himself to relax, moving his hips in slow back and forth motions. The god didn't have to speak, his nonverbal confirmation that he was ready enough for the billionaire.

Tony started thrusting slowly at first, gradually building speed as Loki moaned and yelped softly beneath him. As Stark thrust harder and faster into him, Loki tilted his hips, manipulating the angle of the other man's thrusts to hit into his prostate. The god let out yells and near screams of pleasure as his cock slammed into the sensitive flesh over and over, clawing at the man's back and leaning up, biting into his shoulder.

"Ngh… Fuck… Tony.. God damn it… Yes…." Tony grunted out, nearing his climax as he continued to pound into the writhing, moaning mess that was Loki. "G..God… nearly there man… Nearly there… Fuck… Tony!" he cried out his own name, releasing hard into the other's prostate and grunting. Loki released a moment later, tightening around him and splattering his chest with his seed.

They lay there a moment, both panting hard as they caught their breath and looking into each other's eyes, grinning at nearly the same instant. "Fuck…" Loki breathed out, then chuckled. "That was… Awesome Tony…"

"Course it was…. It's me and me fucking… How could it not be awesome…" Tony laughed, then pulled out, laying beside him and reaching over, trailing his fingers over the other's arc reactor, slightly amused by the glowing on his fingers. "That's so cool… I'm such a genius…" he chuckled, then nuzzled close, passing out.

Loki pulled the covers up over them, letting the magic go and closing his eyes, allowing Stark to snuggle close into him. The god drifted off to sleep after some time, the man's warm body warding off the nightmares.

Thor returned to the building about half an hour after Loki and Tony had fallen asleep, going to the room the billionaire had told him about and laying on the bed, still trying to convince himself that he was not jealous of Tony, and that he did not… could not have feelings for his brother.

In his dream Thor had given in to his feelings for Loki and had told him, with disastrous results. The god of Mischief had turned on him, verbally tearing him apart as well as physically assaulting him, telling him how disgusting and immoral he was for even considering such feelings for his brother, though he may not be related by blood, Loki sneered at him, they were still so close, and it was so wrong….

He kept trying to explain to Loki how deeply, and how much he loved him, but to no avail. Loki continued attacking him, growling low as he spoke, specific insults stinging in a particularly painful way… Unworthy… Disgusting… Wrong… Immoral… Perverted… Thor woke with a gasp, gripping at the bed sheets and panting, trying to gather his thoughts as he recovered from the horror of the nightmare. He lay there for some time before falling back into his slumber, resolve once again solidified to resist the temptation of Loki….


	5. Chapter 5

Tony woke slowly, sitting up and rubbing his face as he nursed a slight hangover. He looked to the side, and did a double take, grunting softly and blinking hard as he stared at the body in the bed beside him. _What the fuck…? _He prodded the sleeping god gently, then rolled him over, frowning a bit more. _What the FUCK. _"LOKI?" the billionaire yelled, startling the other awake.

Loki sat up slowly, rubbing his face and looking at him, "Oh… I see you've awoken… Good… Good…" he smirked as Tony's face reflected the fact that he thought this was anything but 'good'. "Oh… I suppose you want some sort of explanation, don't you.."

"Yeah I want a fuckin' explanation!" Tony yelled, sitting up more and looking at him angrily. "I went to bed with myself and wake up next to the god of too much hair product and yeah, I want to know what the hell is going on!"

The god frowned slightly at the attack on his hair, then sighed, running his fingers through it to smooth it down. "Well, Stark… I needed some way to ensure that I would not be reported to the appropriate authorities, after you saw the disguise that I used to sneak out of Asgard… I knew you were a narcissist, so therefore the idea that I could sleep with you, as you, and therefore have something to blackmail you with, came easily."

He shrugged, then rubbed the side of his face before scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, Tony… You really wouldn't want people knowing that you would sleep with yourself. I mean, though the thought might not be too believable, without irrefutable proof, but…" he flashed back to being Tony for a second, then grinned at him. "I can quite easily provide that."

Tony's expression dropped from an annoyed scowl to a somewhat afraid looking, blank expression. "Not… Cool." he muttered, then sighed. "Does big tall and blonde know it's you or…?"

"Yes, he knows… Does that affect how you are going to react to this situation, or…?" Loki gave a soft smile, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"No… The big guy doesn't quite get what's going on… He wanted us to treat you with kid gloves the last time you were here, simply because you're his brother…" he laughed, shaking his head, completely unaware of how the words had quieted Loki's thoughts.

_Thor had tried to get them to go easy on him… Because of their 'brotherhood'? But Thor knew… He… Knew… That he wasn't actually his brother… Thor did keep harping on about how it didn't matter… How he was his brother, no matter what… But…_

Loki looked back to Stark, tilting his head a bit at him. "Interesting… Now, I hunger.. I shall go acquire some sustenance for myself… I'll see you around then." he chuckled, then got up, magicking clothing onto himself before walking out into the main area of the apartment.

The god of mischief was making breakfast when Thor walked out, hair a mess and in his boxers, leaning on the counter. He cleared his throat, calling Loki's attention to him, startling the other a little with his dress, or lack thereof. "Thor.. Why are you not dressed?"

"I have not the clothing here to change into, and unlike you I can not make it appear out of thin air…" Thor smiled, shaking his head a bit and running his fingers through the golden locks to try and smooth them out a little. "Loki… What happened with Stark? Has he awoken as of now? I did notice that he liked to sleep in…"

Loki nodded. "Yes… We had a lovely conversation this morning… He should be joining us shortly…" the raven haired god gave a charming smile, setting out three plates on the table along with three hot cups of coffee. He glanced to the door as Tony walked into the kitchen, the billionaire dressed in jeans and a Iron Maiden t-shirt. He sat at the place that was left after the gods were seated, mumbling his thanks to Thor, who redirected them towards Loki.

"What? Loki cooked this? It's good though!" Tony gave a surprised laugh, looking to the god who was looking a mixture between confused and amused as he watched the other two eat the food he'd prepared. "Mm… And I don't feel funny… 'S not poisoned…" he looked at Loki with a crooked smile, shaking his head. "Right… Well thanks for breakfast then Loki…"

Loki gave a little nod, then ate some of his own food, making sure to tease Thor as much as he could while he ate. He sucked and licked around the small sausages he'd made, getting grease on his fingers and sucking them off as well…

_Mm… that looks really good… Damn Loki had a talent for making things in his mouth seem much more sexual than they actually were… Wait. No Thor, you told yourself you wouldn't… He's your brother remember that.. No. Bad Thor. Stop thinking that sort of… _

By the end of the meal, Thor was going mad. He was having streams of mental images crashing into his brain over and over, bombarding him with extremely startling and embarrassingly arousing ideas of things Loki could do with that talented mouth instead of wasting it on food…

Tony excused himself, becoming equally as aroused by Loki's antics, even though they weren't directed at him. He made some sort of excuse about having work, then disappeared in the elevator, going to the R&D floor to visit Bruce.

The billionaire snuck up on the other scientist, this time using a trick electroshock pen to zap his elbow and startle him by ways of a greeting. "Ah! Tony…" Bruce chuckled, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "You know, if you keep pushing that… Eventually…"

"Yeah, but I'd probably have to throw a table at you or something…" Tony shrugged, grinning at him and leaning on the table. "Soooo What are we working on? Physics?"

Bruce nodded. "Well you could call it physics. Technically you can call anything physics as long as it exists, and even then, there's theoretical physics… Anyway, I'm looking at a bit of Steve's DNA… I'm curious to see how the serum actually altered him… As opposed to-"

"Big green rage monster." Tony interrupted, laughing and nodding. "Yeah, I get it… But you know… You don't want to dwell on it to much.. It could really drive you crazy you know…" Tony's voice got serious by the end and he leaned in a bit, looking into Bruce's eyes with concern.

"I'll be fine Tony…" Bruce smiled, then shook his head. "Your concern is touching, really it is…" he jotted some notes down, then looked back into the microscope, frowning a bit. "Interesting…"

"Hmmmmmmmm?" Tony leaned in next to him, then gestured towards the microscope. "May I?" Dr. Banner nodded, and stepped aside, letting the other man look into the microscope. "Damn… That's fucking cool…" Tony nodded, then started looking over Bruce's notes, falling silent. The two scientists poured over the DNA for the rest of the day, completely oblivious to what was going on a few floors above them.

Thor got up from the table when breakfast was finished, washing off the dishes before joining Loki in the living room area and sitting on the couch beside him. He was struggling with deciding whether or not to tell Loki how he felt, when the other god got up, walking over to the radio and turning up the volume as. 'Don't mess with me' by Temposhark came on. Loki sang along to every word, dancing to it as he did. "How it all began… Truth be told.. Had a master plan… now I rule the world…."

The dark haired god moved his hips in slow circles as the beat slowed in the song, enunciating each word and punctuating them with sharp twitches of his hips. "Show me sex appeal… get on your hands and knees… forget about the kneel… it's best to keep me pleased…" he practically purred the words, moving closer to his brother as he sang and ensuring it still seemed entirely unintentional, even as he sang "I've got time to kill… So how about a quick fuck?"

When the song finished, Loki grinned, walking over to Thor and holding his hand out to the flustered man. "Come on Thor… dance with me…" he yanked him to his feet, just as 'Moves like Jagger' by Maroon Five came on. The thunder god attempted some protests, but gave in to Loki's will, figuring he'd let him go after this one dance…

The god of mischief lived up to his reputation, not so much dancing with Thor as dancing on him. He slid up and down, lightly rubbing his arse against Thor's body as he crouched quickly to the floor, then brought himself back up excruciatingly slowly. Loki sang along to that song as well, feeling the evidence against his own body as Thor became more than a little aroused by his teasing, grinding motions. He finished off the song, then strutted over to the stereo, turning it back down.

Loki made his way over to the couch, flopping down, slightly out of breath from the exertion of dancing. He watched as Thor carefully sat beside him, face still extremely flustered, and laughed, shaking his head. "Thorrr…. What on earth are you so flushed for? Your cheeks are as red as that gaudy cape you favor so!"

"Shut up Loki… At least my helmet does not have horns resembling those of a Midgardian insect!" Thor growled, rubbing his face and attempting to calm himself.

"What is it Thor… please… tell me?" Loki asked, deciding to go the 'nice' route as opposed to teasing it out of his brother.

"No." Thor stated firmly, shaking his head. "It is nothing, Loki… Pay me no mind…" he frowned, looking away, deep in thought.

Loki persisted, pestering him and poking him for the next half hour, whining and begging, and threatening and growling, but still he did not get his way. "Thor, just tell me… I cannot help you with whatever it is that bothers your mind if you do not share with me what it is…" he took Thor's hand, turning the man's own sentiment against him.

Thor looked at Loki, all his emotions bubbling to the surface as he stared at his brother's face… _The face of the man… He had to give in now… The face of the man he loved, and knew that he could not tell him the truth. He just… couldn't risk destroying their brotherhood… Perhaps… partial truth… He didn't have to declare romantic love… no… he could just tell Loki he was being tempted by him…. _

"Loki… There's something I need to tell you… What you were doing there… When you danced with me… And at breakfast with those sausages, and with all that fruit back in Asgard…. I am not accusing you of trying to do this to me… But I find myself sorely tempted by you and I cannot seem to stop thinking these thoughts about you…" Thor looked away, then took a deep breath. "I know that it's wrong and… and disturbing because we were raised as brothers… But I want you to know… So you can hopefully avoid causing me to feel this way in the future.."

Loki nodded slowly, starting to pull Thor into a hug, murmuring something about it being okay, and saying that he wasn't disturbed, that he would make an effort to avoid tempting him, when Thor pulled back, looking at him with a deep frown. "No… Loki… I must tell you something… I have one more thing… To tell you... Loki… I-"

"Hey, Tony… I was just in the neighborhood, though I should swing by and-…." The assassin stared at the Asgardians sitting on the couch, Thor immediately moving to attempt to hide his brother. It was too late though, Clint's sharp eyes had seen the other god, and hell, he could still see him. "What… The… Hell? Loki?"


	6. Chapter 6

Loki got to his feet, starting to back away from the other two as Thor got up as well, holding out his hands towards Clint. "Barton, he means no harm… He is being peaceful this time… He has changed…"

The assassin ignored the god of thunder, striding past him to Loki and grabbing him by the collar, throwing the startled god on the floor on his back. "He's never peaceful, and he's never going to change!" Clint got down on top of Loki, pinning him to the ground and glaring into his eyes.

"Ohhhhh… ehehehe… He's still mad about the mind control thing Thor…" Loki grinned, looking over to his brother, who seemed unsure of what to do.. _Of course the big oaf doesn't want to hurt his little friend… Good thing he's not your friend Loki then you wouldn't be able to kick his ass… Well no-one is, but that means you aren't weak… Right… Now… _Loki smirked to himself, then flipped their positions, pinning the archer to the ground by his neck and slowly encasing it in ice.

"Brother stop!" Thor called out, starting over towards the others, hand outstretched to grab onto Loki. The raven haired god turned to look at him, smirking and teleporting himself and Clint to the roof, leaving clones there to distract Thor for a couple seconds before letting the illusions go.

Loki threw Clint across the roof, the ice encasing his neck cracking and falling away as he hit the concrete, skidding across it. "You pathetic mortal…" Loki growled, walking over to him and stepping on his chest, slowly adding pressure. "You really think you can defeat me, a god, when all you are is a worthless vermin with good aim…"

Clint grabbed Loki's leg, yanking it out from under him so the god fell on top of him, then rolled to pin him once more, hands around the other's throat, squeezing roughly. "You fucking arrogant son of a bitch… I can kick your pompous, conceited ass, and I will kill you for what you made me do… How many agents you made me kill…" he growled the words, squeezing harder, not paying attention to the huge grin on Loki's face.

In the next instant Loki was gone, standing across the roof instead. Clint drew his bow, loosing an arrow that would have hit his mark dead in the eye, but instead went right through the clone that had been standing there while the real Loki threw a dagger at Clint, hitting him in the side.

The assassin fell to his knees, gasping, and grabbing at his side, his bow falling to the ground beside him. "Fuck… you… Loki…" Barton panted out, looking at the god as he sauntered over, the huge grin still on his face.

"Ehehehe… Clint Barton… I would not have preferred to kill you… What with how useful you were to me last time I was here… But alas, we find ourselves opposed, so the task of killing you falls upon me." He shrugged, summoning up another dagger and bringing it back to stab the assassin in the heart.

Clint's arm came up just in time, grabbing onto the god's arm and twisting it, causing him to drop the weapon. The injured man got to his feet as he twisted his assailant's arm further, flipping him onto his back and standing triumphant with his foot on Loki's neck. "It seems the task of killing you.." he said you with emphasis, smirking and pushing down on the other's neck a little. "Falls upon me, Loki…"

Loki rolled his eyes as Clint turned his words against him, hands moving to grab at the shorter man's leg, and prevent his own death, but his efforts were unnecessary. Thor had found the pair just as the short man stepped onto Loki's neck and grabbed Barton by the back of his shirt, throwing him away from his adoptive brother. He grabbed Loki's hand, pulling him to his feet, then turned on Clint, rage coursing through his veins.

"You dare attack my brother? When I had specifically informed you that he did indeed come with peaceful intentions, you still felt that you were in the right to attack? Go seek assistance for your wound, Barton, and do not make the mistake of laying a finger on my brother ever again, or I shall have to deliver the consequences myself!"

Clint nodded, pulling off his shirt and tearing it to use it as a bandage on his bleeding side. He made his way inside, then down to the R&D floor, limping into the lab Tony and Bruce were working in. "Fuck! What the hell happened to you?" Tony exclaimed, staring at Clint and hitting Bruce's shoulder to make him look.

"Clint… Sit down.. Let me take a look at this…" Dr. Banner walked over, grabbing the first aid kit off the wall and walking over to his injured friend. Tony joined them, watching curiously as Bruce pulled the bandages off of Clint, and cleaned the dagger wound. "Wow… That looks deep… Thankfully it doesn't seem to have caused too much damage.. I'll stitch it up and put some antiseptic cream on it…" he got the needle and thread out while he spoke, nodding to Clint. "Why don't you tell Tony what happened while I do this… It'll distract you…"

Clint looked at Tony, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Loki… Is here, Tony… Did you know that?" The billionaire nodded, and the assassin scowled, shaking his head. "So you believe Thor's bull about Loki being.. Here peacefully? That guy and peace just don't mix Tony! He did this to me, and tried to kill me!"

Tony's expression went from concerned, to pissed, to strangely calm as Clint spoke. "Tony..?" Bruce asked, reaching a hand out and grabbing the man's arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine.. I just.. I need to go talk to Thor and Loki.." he muttered, walking out of the lab and into the elevator, taking it upstairs. He stopped to put on his suit before flying up to the roof, landing in front of Thor and Loki, who had been standing near the edge, talking.

Loki had been telling Thor how Clint had continued to attack him, even after he'd offered to surrender, when Tony showed up, and he stopped mid-sentence, staring at the man. "Oh, friend Stark.." Thor gave a smile, turning a bit to face him. "Why have you put on your suit? Is something the matter?"

Thor seemed genuinely confused, so Tony slid the visor up, looking at him with a slightly amused expression. "Well I don't know Thor, is the ice princess over there going to try and stab me too?"

"Ah.. I see Barton found you then…" Thor grimaced, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder to hold him back as he had growled and started towards Tony on the 'ice princess' comment.

"Yeah. He found us, and got Bruce to stitch up the wound your brother left! Look, Loki, you can't just fucking mess shit up whenever you feel like it! First you impersonate me, then get me to have sex with myself so you have something to hold over me, then you fight with and nearly kill one of my friends, so I'm not really feeling the whole thing where you have none but peaceful intentions towards us!"

"He attempted to kill me first, Tony Stark, and I don't recall having to force you to have sex with me, so you can't say that was entirely my fault there. Forgive me for not wanting to die at the hands of a grudge holding mortal!" Loki huffed, shrugging Thor's hand off and starting to walk away from Thor and Tony.

"Why don't you just go home, Loki?" Tony called after him, exasperated with the god's attitude. "Just go home, and leave the earth alone!"

"I can't go home you pathetically idiotic mortal!" Loki yelled, turning on the spot and glaring at the man in the robotic suit. "I cannot. Just. Go. Home." he stated each word firmly, the word 'home' bearing the most pain and scorn out of all of them.

"Why not?" Tony frowned, walking over to Loki and crossing his arms. "Why can't you go home then?" he raised a brow, waiting for an answer from the god, who so far was just staring at him like he had just suggested that Loki should turn into a unicorn and prance away on a rainbow, which mind you, he probably could if he really wanted.

"I don't have a home, Tony." Loki stated, then laughed weakly, shaking his head. "I don't have a home. Asgard is not my home, not with how much the people there hate me, and Jotunheim is out of the question, obviously. The other realms would not take me, and frankly, I wouldn't care to live there either. I have no home." he restated the word, then scoffed.

Tony stared at him, then sighed, shaking his head. "Loki, home isn't just… Somewhere to live. Asgard is your home, it's where you grew up isn't it? I mean… Home is not that easily defined… I just.." he sighed, then rubbed his face. "Look, this is going to sound really fucking cheesy, but home… Home is where the heart is, okay? So maybe… Maybe if you figure out where your heart is, then you can find out where your home is." he nodded, then looked between the brothers before flying back downstairs and going inside, getting out of the suit and grabbing a glass of scotch, sitting on the couch and rubbing his face.

Thor turned to Loki after Stark had left, sighing softly and reaching a hand out to gently hold his shoulder. "Loki… Brother… Perhaps if we talked to Tony… We could find somewhere that we can live.. Perhaps he has a spare property or-"

"Shut up Thor!" he growled, shaking his head and walking over to the edge of the roof, sitting on it with his feet dangling off the side. "Just go! Just go and… And let me think…" he hissed, waiting for Thor to walk away, sitting there and holding his head, his mind spinning with what Tony had said.

_If home was really where the heart was… Then where was his heart? Where was it? _


	7. Chapter 7

Loki sat there for the next six hours, nearly unmoving as he thought over what Tony had said to him. He watched the pigeons fly by, and the sun moving across the Midgardian sky, making him far too warm for his liking, though he didn't pay the physical discomfort much mind at this point, his thoughts too busy with the man or Iron's words.

_Asgard… His home? No… No… No it couldn't be… In no way could it be his home… They would never accept him back there… Not really, even if Thor could convince them to repeal his sentence. _

The god of mischief looked out over the city, watching as the different families moved about their lives, walking in the park, or going for a drive… He could even see into some of the apartments, where people were sitting together for lunch, or watching television as it got later… Such happy little families, going about their day to day activities, mothers and fathers who loved their children, brothers playing and fighting together, the sight of them all made him sick.

An ice cream truck came around the corner then, then noise from it annoying Loki to no end, and inciting his anger at the specific point. He glared at the truck, turning the entire thing into ice cream and causing it to explode, splattering the dairy substance all over the street, dousing the passers by and coating the cars behind and in front of the exploded truck. The driver landed in the middle of it all, dazed and confused as to what had just happened to him.

Loki laughed at the chaos that ensued, not noticing as Thor rejoined him, sitting beside him on the rooftop. "Brother… Really? Why must you do such things? Someone could have been injured, or worse, killed!"

"Because it's fun, Thor!" Loki sneered at him, getting to his feet and walking away along the ledge. "It's fun, it provides me with amusement, it makes me laugh, is that not the definition of a good time? Of something that it is a good idea to do? I enjoy it… What more reason do I need to do something?" he turned, grinning at the blonde god.

"I do not find this amusing Loki! Did you not hear me? Someone could have died, Loki!" Thor gestured to the street with his hand, hair blowing across his face, his breath coming in panting huffs as he struggled to contain his anger, shaking his head and frowning deeply at his adoptive brother.

"That happens all the time, Thor, mortals die, that's what they DO!" he yelled the last word, then laughed, turning and shaking his head before looking back to Thor. "Mortal beings die, Thor… That is the literal definition of what they are! You would have them all live forever if you could… Are you really that idiotic? Do you really care so much for those… People, if you can call then that… That you care whether they die, even ones you have never met? You are a god, as am I, we are both above these beings and yet you care so greatly for them!"

"Loki… We are not-.." Thor began, then decided to take another route, thinking that perhaps… Perhaps if he were to be calmer about this, he could catch Loki off guard, actually be able to get close to what he was feeling and help him for once. "Loki… Why are you in such a destructive mood? I wish to know so that I may help you into a better one." he proffered his hand, giving the other god a small, reassuring smile.

"It matters not, Thor… You cannot possibly understand, so do not even try." he laughed, the sound hollow and pained, the huge grin that sat on his face not reaching his eyes as it usually did, their normal sparkle of mischief gone, leaving them strangely dark and sharp. "Just… Go to your new family… I'm sure that they need your help with something…" Loki turned away from him as he spoke, his heart feeling a sharp stab of pain as he thought of Thor's friends replacing him.

"Loki, they are my friends, yes… But you are my brother, my family." Thor walked over to Loki, grabbing his shoulders, and turning him around, pulling him close into a tight hug. "You will always be my brother Loki-"

"But you care more for those pathetic mortals than you do for me!" Loki interrupted, trying to pull away from the embrace, though his own arms had wrapped tightly around Thor's waist, holding him firmly in place.

"Loki, I will never care for any mortal, or any being more than I care for you!" Thor stated the words, looking into the slightly shorter god's eyes with a slight frown. "Don't you realize how much I care for you?"

"What about that Jane girl Thor? What about her? I am right in assuming the romantic love…" he scoffed the word, shaking his head before looking back into Thor's eyes. "The romantic love that you feel for her is far more potent than any 'love' you claim to have for me, the one who isn't even your brother, the one who has tried very hard to kill you, the one who is… The monster that you swore to hunt down and kill every last one of as a child."

Loki looked away, then back to Thor, opening his mouth to speak once more, but finding his lips occupied. The blonde god had leaned down, firmly pressing his lips against the other's, pulling him slightly closer against his body whilst doing so.

_What? Thor's kissing you? Loki you need to pull away and do it now! But it feels so nice… You can't have him Loki… Why not? He is not my brother, and he claims to care… That's right, he claims to care Loki… Stop this right now… _

Loki pulled away after a few long seconds, his heart pounding in his chest. His heart was pounding? It only ever seemed to do that when he was terrified… But he wasn't. Not really. He felt more… Calm than anything… But then why was his heart so damn loud? Never mind that, why did he have a nearly overwhelming urge to grab Thor by that stupidly pretty hair and kiss him again?

Right. Thor. Thor who was now staring at Loki, waiting for some sort of reaction from the other, who, up until that moment, had seemed in some sort of daze. Thor feared he'd broken Loki.

"Loki?" he attempted, bringing a hand up to gently stroke his cheek, his voice low and somewhat tentative as he spoke his next words. "Loki, what I wanted to tell you before Clint walked in, back on the couch… I wanted to tell you that I love you."

"Yes, you've told me that before Thor.." Loki chuckled, trying to make light of the situation. He leaned into his hand a little, rubbing his thumbs softly against the fabric of Thor's shirt. The bog oaf always told him he loved him, his brother, though not by blood, and that it made no difference who he really was, what he really was…

"No, Loki… I love you… Like this." he leaned in and kissed him again, this time a bit more boldly, deepening it and groaning softly into his mouth, kissing him for several minutes before pulling away, panting. "Understand now?"

Loki stared at him, then nodded weakly, leaning in and burying his face against Thor's neck, ignoring the soft tickling of his beard as he persisted in kissing and sucking at it softly. "Mm… Yes.. I understand Thor…" he mumbled, then rested his forehead on his shoulder, hands gripping tightly at the back of his shirt. "Thor… Can we go inside… and to the bedroom Stark provided?" he smirked a bit, pulling back to look into Thor's eyes, his own sparkling with mischief and lust.

Thor nodded, leading him back inside and getting in the elevator, where, as soon as the doors had closed, he roughly pinned Loki back against the elevator wall, kissing him deeply and passionately. His hands roamed over the other god's body, slipping up under his clothing and running over the other's cool, pale, smooth skin, feeling him shudder and twitch beneath his touch.

"Mm.. we should… stop until we get to the bedroom, yes?" The raven haired god mumbled between kisses, chuckling softly at just how eager Thor was to be kissing him, then grunting as his hands roamed lower, roughly gripping at the god of mischief's arse. The blonde nodded, and they pulled apart just before the doors slid open, Loki walking out as if he owned the place and going straight to the bedroom, starting to strip as soon as he was over the threshold.

Loki removed his shirt first, slowly tugging the fabric over his head, and flinging it in the corner. Next were his shoes, which he kicked off into the same corner, turning and giving Thor a smirk, who was standing there, leaning against the door and watching him with a transfixed gaze. Next he slowly tugged his trousers off until they were barely holding onto his hips, then turned away from the blonde, allowing the garment to drop to the floor before stepping out of it and kicking the pair of trousers aside. He stretched then smirked, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge, nude as he watched Thor regain himself, stumbling as he turned around, locking the door.

The blonde god turned back round, eyes traveling over Loki's nude body and blushing as another stronger bolt of heat shot straight to his groin. Thor quickly stripped his clothing, not bothering to be as teasing or methodical as the other had been, then was atop Loki, pinning him down onto the bed and kissing him deeply, grabbing his thigh and hooking it around his own waist so that he could rub his growing erection against the ravenette's.

"Mm… Yes… Thor… Mm…" Loki moaned softly, rutting up against him and reaching up with one hand, running his fingers through his hair. "Mm… Yes… Okay.. Ngh… Let me… Let me prepare myself first Thor… Or this.. Will hurt me…more than is necessary…" he gave a soft chuckle, then slicked his fingers up with his saliva before carefully preparing himself.

Thor waited until Loki was fully ready, then took his wrists in his hands, pinning them over the other's head as he positioned himself, slowly pushing in. The younger god let out a soft yelp of pain, which had Thor falling still and looking at him with concern, opening his mouth to apologize, but being interrupted by Loki. "No, Thor… It's fine.." he hissed, taking deep breaths as his body adjusted to Thor's length and thickness. "Mm… Yes… It's fine Thor… J..Just start…Now… Thor… I said… Now…"

In response to the other's demands, Thor smiled softly, leaning down to kiss him hard. "Shut up Loki…" he chuckled, then began a slow rhythm, groaning as the other's body tightly hugged his cock, sheathing him in the delicious heat. "Ngh… yes… Loki… Mm…"

"Ah… Tho-… Thor… Ngh.." Loki quietly whimpered beneath him, slowly rocking his hips into the other's gradually building thrusts, the pain slowly but surely turning into pleasure for the thinner god. "Ngh… Yes.. Harder… Faster…" he bit his lip, trying to stifle some of the pleasured noises as Thor conceded to his request.

The slightly taller god pounded into the other over and over, letting out grunts and pants of effort as he pushed in deeper with each thrust. "Ngh… Yes… here… Let me… just… here.." he grabbed Loki's thigh once more, hitching his leg over his shoulder and adjusting his angle to hit the other's prostate, a shift which had Loki nearly screaming in pleasure and begging for more.

"Yes… Thor.. Mm.. Yes!" Loki cried out, spiraling towards his release as he rocked his hips hard in time with Thor's motions. "Y..Yes… Soon… Ngh…So… Soon…" The god of mischief's breath came in pants as he neared his climax, then was nearly gone as he gasped out, releasing hard onto Thor's chest.

"Ngh… Yes.. Loki.." Thor panted out , burying himself deep with one last thrust and releasing against the other's prostate, staying still a moment before pulling out. He grabbed the shirt he'd been wearing and wiped his chest before laying back down beside Loki, catching his breath, his heair askew and his body coated in a thin sheen of sweat.

Loki curled into the blonde's side, nuzzling his chest and placing a soft kiss on it, licking the small amount of salty liquid that remained off his lips. He sighed happily, his hand trailing slowly up and down Thor's stomach. Soon the thunder god had fallen asleep, after a mumbled 'I love you' to Loki, and the younger god was left to his thoughts.

_That was… Amazing. It felt so… Different than anyone he'd ever been with before… Perhaps it was because of the love he felt for Thor… Yes, that would make sense… Wait, he could feel that again? Loki, wasn't that gone? No… No it was not… It had just…Changed. Yes, the feeling was not gone, merely different. Better even. His heart… His heart had been pounding so loudly… Yet it had not seemed to be there for so long… Choosing only now to show up… Thor… Thor seemed the key, Thor seemed to be… His heart. _Loki thought back to Tony's words, then turned, looking at Thor's peaceful, sleeping face. He looked so… Sweet. Loki smiled warmly, pressing a kiss to Thor's chest before moving and laying his head back against his shoulder instead. _Perhaps Tony was right… If home truly was where the heart was.. And when he was with Thor, he felt his heart the most strongly, then perhaps, Thor was his home. Not a particular place, but a person. _

Loki nestled himself more firmly in Thor's side, his arm wrapped around the other's strong torso as he rested his cheek back on the other's chest, over the sleeping god's strong heart. This, Loki decided, was his home. Not some palace up in Asgard, nor some ice cave in Jotunheim, nor some house on Midgard, but being with Thor, by his side, safe and loved. This, he promised himself, would be his definition of home.


End file.
